“I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives” (Jane Austen). Women in the 19th century were delicate objects, things of beauty and grace, but Jane Austen believed otherwise. Women were expected to be well groomed, educated, but not too educated, and they had to be able to take care of their eventual husbands and families (Gender Roles in the 19th Century). Through her many novels, including Pride and Prejudice, Austen made characters that fought against gender stereotypes, whether it was subtle or not. From the different views on marriage, to the parallels drawn between Jane Austen and Elizabeth, and the contrast placed between various characters beliefs and desires, Austen pushes the envelope and blurs the lines of what was and was not acceptable in early 19th century culture. Women living in England during the 1800’s were seen as nothing more than housewives who lived to keep their husbands comfortable, but in the novel Pride and Prejudice, this outdated ideal was tested.

Within the novel Pride and Prejudice, there are many different reasons for marriage displayed, including necessity, preservation of someone’s reputation, and rarest of all love. Many women of the time period relied on marriage for a future (Gender Roles in the 19th Century). This was seen in the case of Charlotte Lucas, who marries Mr. Collins out of lack of options. If Charlotte were to have the future most women of the time period strived for, she knew entering a loveless marriage with Mr. Collins would just be a part of that future. Sadly, without marriage, many women in the same situation as Charlotte  did not have the chance for a future because being a working woman was severely frowned upon. In a different situation, Mr. Wickham and Lydia’s as a way to preserve the reputation of the Bennet family. Mr. Wickham and Lydia ran away to escape the mountains of debt he had accumulated, but Lydia’s naive choice led to judgment and rejection of the rest of her family. In the case that the two did not go through with the marriage, none of the Bennet girls would have been able to get married because in that society, class was everything (Austen 341). Jane Austen used those two marriages as a way to demonstrate how helpless a woman of low or middle class would be if she was not married. There are two cases in which characters in the novel were able to marry for the thing everyone desired, but few had the opportunity to find. The idea of marrying someone for love was such an abstract thought in the 19th century because there was always something to gain from a marriage and women were not given the time to find someone they wanted to spend their lives with. The marriages of Mr. Bingley and Jane and Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth were used to show the rareness of happiness in marriage at the time. 

In the 19th century, marrying someone for love was not an option for most people, but from the perspective of Elizabeth Bennet and the woman who created her, love and respect was the only option for marriage. Elizabeth Bennet was written to share qualities with Jane Austen with similar views on marriage and female individuality. While Elizabeth receives a respectable proposal from Mr. Collins and marrying him would give her financial security, she rejected him. She was thought to have made a mistake in her mother’s eyes because if Elizabeth did not get married, she was doomed to become an old maid. The author of the novel, Jane Austen also had an experience like this. She strongly believed that marriage should be for love or not at all, which led to her never marrying. Outside of their common views on marriage, they also shared ideals for women. Jane Austen was a woman of intelligence and wit beyond expectations. Instead of being the perfect housewife, prim and proper, she decided to do more with the intellect she was given through her many novels. Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice was one of the characters given the strength to overcome the unfulfilling standards placed on women at the time. Elizabeth was smart and clever, spoke her mind, and held her own when others took to judging her for her values, including her own mother. Throughout the novel, Jane Austen drew from personal experiences to create the fighter that was Elizabeth Bennet.

Within the novel, there are many characters that have opposite beliefs than those represented in Elizabeth (Muji). The most notable of these characters was Miss Caroline Bingley. Caroline was shown as a picture perfect version of what a woman should be in the 19th century, with her poise and elegance. Elizabeth however, breaks that mold with her abstract ideas and intelligence to stand for them. Excluding their obvious differences in being raised in different social classes, Caroline does not try to hide just how little she liked Elizabeth. The main reason for this disdain for Elizabeth was triggered by her interest in Mr. Darcy. Though Caroline does not have romantic feelings for Mr. Darcy, she does feel that a man of his social class should be with someone of equal standing (Muji). This was her motivation to keep Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth apart. She knows that Mr. Darcy, like herself, was very status conscious, causing her to talk down to and about Elizabeth. Besides Caroline, Elizabeth’s family, especially her sisters, also contrasts Elizabeth’s beliefs. While Elizabeth wants to marry for love, her youngest sister, Lydia wanted to be married because she liked the idea of having a husband to take care of. Elizabeth valued intellect over beauty, while Jane used her outstanding beauty to her advantage when finding a husband. Lastly, Mrs. Bennet’s obsession with marrying her daughters off into wealthy, stable families was counteracted by Elizabeth’s desire to fall in love. No matter how many characters show how odd Elizabth is for her opinions and morals, she continues to be her own person.

In the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Jane Austen pushes the boundaries of what was and what should be accepted in 19th century English society. Being a woman in the 19th century often meant that being independent was off the table completely, but Jane Austen used her writing to help change the narrative. By using juxtaposition between Elizabeth and more classic female characters, the varying views and needs within marriage during the time period, and by drawing from personal experiences, Jane Austen was able to create the progressive romance novel that is Pride and Prejudice. 

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Porter & Coates, 1813.

“Gender Roles in the 19th Century.” The British Library, The British Library, 13 Feb. 2014, www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/gender-roles-in-the-19th-century.

Muji, Arbnore. “Gender Issues Reflected within Nature in Jane Austen’s Novel Pride and Prejudice .” Linnaeus University, 9 Sept. 2010.

Watts, Ruth. Educating Women: Schooling and Identity in England and France 1800-1867 (Review). 28 Feb. 2009, muse.jhu.edu/article/260488/summary.